Gijón is sea, culture and industry. Gijón is sport, heritage and villages. The most populated city in Asturias is a tourist resort that has known how to embrace travellers without losing its essence. On the outskirts of Gijón, heading inland towards the centre of the region, lies the territory known as Comarca del Nora, taking its name from the river running through it, which has accumulated many stories of pilgrims and traders due to its strategic location.

22,9
kms

Day 1 Gijón - Gijón

You need a full day with a busy agenda to begin savouring Gijón. You can start your tour at Poniente Beach, reclaimed from the sea, where the Aquarium is located. Then on to the marina, overlooked by a modern seawater therapy centre. Plaza de Revillagigedo, and the short climb up to Cimadevilla, the old quarter of the town, with Santa Catalina Headland, towering over the sea, and its Elogy of the Horizon sculpture by Eduardo Chillida. The climb back down the hill to the Church of San Pedro affords a view the kilometre-and-a-half-long San Lorenzo Beach, which is bordered by a promenade that follows the coastline right out into the countryside. Once you have discovered the sea, it's time to head inland to the Plaza del Instituto and then on to the shopping precinct formed by Corrida and Moros Streets, Plaza de Europa, Paseo de Begoña, and the Jovellanos Theatre.

In the afternoon, the excellent bus network becomes the best option to head out into the surrounding countryside to visit the Botanic Gardens, where four different bus lines stop (1, 2, 18 and 26). Just a few minutes' walk from the Botanic Gardens, Laboral City of Culture is a magnificent example of how a sizeable building complex built in Franco's time has been reconverted into modern, dynamic, cultural facilities.

34,4
kms

Day 2 Gijón - Llanera

The Comarca del Nora requires the use of a car and at least a full day. The more romantic travellers can leave Gijón to head to Pola de Siero via the former road bringing coal from the mining valleys, known as the Carretera Carbonera (AS-246), and discover a network of villages. The more practical have the modern equivalent in dual carriageway form, called the Autovía Minera (AS-1), at their disposition for a faster, easier drive. Pola de Siero is a small town where you can see the Marquis of Santa Cruz Mansion, the neighbourhood of Les Campes, the Church of San Pedro, with murals painted by Casimiro Baragaña, and a unique marketplace, an example of early 20th-century Asturian architecture designed by Ildefonso Sánchez del Río. The tour continues on just 5 kilometres to the west of Pola de Siero to Noreña, where you can discover Miraflores Mansion, the Ecce Homo Chapel and the centre of this county town, with its rich cuisine based on pork products.

In the afternoon, you need to take the A-64 dual carriageway towards Oviedo, the A-66 towards Gijón and then take the exit for Lugones if you wish to explore the last part of this territory, Llanera. In the borough capital, Posada, you can visit Plaza de La Habana and, a few kilometres on from the town, Arlós and its Romanesque church as well as Valdés Tower, dating from the 14th century, located in San Cucao.